Teaching Strategies for Communicative Competence in Primary Education: A Systematic Review

Abstract

This research addresses the challenges faced in teaching communicative competence in elementary education, as reflected in the low reading and writing performance of students on international standardized assessments. While communicative competence encompasses both written and oral skills, these are often taught in isolation, revealing a gap between theoretical frameworks and educational outcomes. The aim of this systematic review was to analyze the didactic strategies employed by primary school teachers to foster communicative competence from 2020 to 2025. Utilizing the PRISMA 2020 methodology, twenty-one empirical articles selected from five databases were analyzed through analytical matrices. Findings indicate a predominance of studies focusing on oral communication strategies, with less emphasis on integrated approaches that combine both oral and written skills. Traditional methods continue to be prevalent in writing instruction, and there is limited attention to viewing communication as a holistic, contextualized skill set. Most research was conducted in urban settings. The review highlights a disconnect between existing theoretical models of communication and current pedagogical practices, underscoring the need for more studies that promote the integration of orality and writing as a unified, contextualized competence.